Why I'm not buying Junjou.

Last year RightStuf announced they acquired the rights to Junjou Romantica. Being the dreamer I am, I hoped magically somehow it would be dubbed. Last month all the specs for the dvd were released and I made my decision to forgo this purchase.

This is not a first for me. If you look at my dvd shelf BL is very sparse, almost nonexistent. Sad, I know, but for me, dubbing is a huge reason why I purchase anime. Oh, yes, sometimes a dub can be atrocious such as the redub of Macross (whose bright idea was that). But for the most part, there are days when I just don't want to listen to Japanese, because when you're still learning a language listening to the language you're learning is work, thus it's tiring. Yeah, there's subs, but I prefer to have the tv on and do other things while I listen. So, dubs, no matter how bad, are necessary. This hasn't just hindered my purchasing of BL but other series also, such as Tears to Tiara and Simoun. Especially since, for the most part, a lot of these are streaming online or I can catch them on the anime network. There are those collectors who just have to have the series they're into, but for me that was a phase I have long since out grown.

I understand BL is a niche market but I really do think they had a chance to snatch up more fans with Junjou. Not including a dub you're cutting out a part of your market. And believe me, there are many people out there who are turned off by subs. And if they weren't going to include a dub track they have to offer something to entice people like me. Blu-Ray would be nice, but if this series can't get dubbed there's no way it will get a Blu-Ray release. You can get me with extras. And a nice little bonus would have been the interviews with the voice actors you can find on youtube such as this one here featuring Kamijou and Nowaki's VA's:

Pencil boards, postcards, trading cards, keychains would have all been nice little add-ons. Come on, Right Stuf, woo me! I've already seen Junjou, now give me a reason to own it.